Winter Doldrums Questionnaire

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
Knit! I love to knit! I know how to crochet, but only use it when neccessary, like for casting on, edging, or joining seams.

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths?
Since cotton doesn't slide off the needles as easily as wool or silk, I like to use either the pair of #7 Crystal Palace bamboo needles I have or my #7 Addi turbo's made for knitting lace - they both have sharp little points that let me get under the loop more easily.

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try?
My favorite so far is Lion's Brand Cotton Ease. I like the little bit of springiness in it but don't like the limited range of colors. I have a hard time knitting with Sugar & Cream or any type of cotton that is mercerized or doesn't have some bounciness/stretchiness because my hands start hurting quickly and I can only knit a little at a time. I'd love to try some of the cotton/microfiber or cotton/polymide or cotton/wool blends.

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)?
In my kitchen I use buttery yellow, coral, cobalt blue and lime green for accent colors. In my bathroom, I use mainly cream colored towels and washcloths.

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite?
At this time of year, I start looking for brighter colors. I like lime green, cobalt blue, shades of blue-violet, purples and lavenders, buttery yellow, and coral. The colors I dislike are pastels, beiges, and screaming bright versions of reds, oranges, and yellow.

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends?
I like winter here a lot. Growing up in New Orleans, we had very little winter, but more like days where it wasn't warm or cold, just grey and very humid. Yuck. Here in Kansas, most of the time it will be cold but the skies will be very blue and sunny. Also at this time of year, we'll have a few days of balmy spring-like weather in between the cold spells. So it's very changeable and that keeps me from getting really tired of it.

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps?
Listen to music, talk to a friend, lots of pet therapy, and of course, knitting!

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in when your down in the dumps?
Soft and sweet such as muffins, cookies (especially oatmeal raisin), candy (snickers, milky way bars, York patties, M&M's, cinnamon jelly hearts...the list is endless) followed by salty and crunchy (sea salt pita chips are my current crave), followed a short time later by soft and sweet....

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa?
Yes, yes, yes! I love coffee, the darker and stronger it is, the better. I drink mint, jasmine, and orange-spice green tea. I fix hot chocolate a few times a month when I'm craving chocolate.

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do?
At this time of year, I'd buy tickets for my entire family and head to Vegas, baby! The gamblers can gamble (not me - i save my money to purchase yarn), the shoppers can shop, the kids can play, the food is great, we'd catch the big shows every night and we'd stay someplace luxurious, like Mandalay Bay.

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of?
I 'm allergic to smoke and certain fragrances in soaps, lotions and candles. The ones that don't trigger allergies are lavender and vanilla. I'm also allergic to math, but try to avoid it whenever possible.